Valenzuela school CCTV aids cops in arresting thief

MANILA, Philippines — A wanted thief landed in jail on Monday afternoon after he being recorded on CCTV footage stealing items at the Valenzuela National High School.

According to police, security guard Efren Acevedo Olequino accompanied a student who was looking for paint thinner at the sound system room of the school around noon on Monday.

In the room, they found the cabinets had been opened and a laptop and a projector owned by the school were missing.

Olequino immediately checked the school’s CCTV recording and saw a half-naked man carrying a sling bag.

He reported the incident to barangay hall, where he discovered that man was already known to authorities. He was identified as 45-year-old Eric Pineda Lian.

The following day, the guard also reported the theft to the Detective Management Office (DMO) of the Valenzuela City Police Station.

The DMO confirmed from its records that Lian had a standing arrest warrant issued by Branch 81 of the Valenzuela Municipal Trial Court for attempted robbery.

This led police officers to conduct a follow-up operation.

A DMO team led by Cpl. Regin Rex Coderez Parades arrested Lian at a construction site on Pio Valenzuela Street in Marulas.

The officers seized from Lian the box of cellphone stolen from a certain Necasio Junio. But they did not find the items stolen from the school.

(Editor: Alexander T. Magno)